Japan

Japan is situated off the coast of East Asia and consists of four main islands and thousands of lesser islands in the Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. The country is mountainous and heavily forested. Japan´s climate is maritime with warm summers and mild winters. The islands of Honshu and Hokkaido experience very cold winters with heavy snowfall. Japan has the world´s second largest economy with a large range of modern, heavy and light industries. Japan is a world leader in the production of consumer durables, electronics, cars, ship building and motorcycles. Banking and finance is an important service sector and Japan has one of the world´s major stock exchanges. Japan has trade links with the whole world. The capital is Tokyo.